


Summer Salt

by Sketchylear



Category: The Last of Us
Genre: F/F, Now with betas because English is hard, Slow Burn, no beta we die like men
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-29
Updated: 2021-01-13
Packaged: 2021-03-04 05:35:14
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,148
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24978526
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sketchylear/pseuds/Sketchylear
Summary: Marlene and Joel agree, the certain sacrifice of Ellie’s life for only the potential of a cure is not worth the risk.The Fireflies disband and Joel and Ellie make a life for themselves in Jackson with no lies between them and no vengeful WLF operatives to ruin what they’ve built. That doesn’t mean the Salt Lake crew wont still find a way to to turn Joel’s hair grey. Especially Abby Anderson.Crack AU for a rare pair
Relationships: Abby/Ellie, Abby/Ellie (The Last of Us), Ellie & Joel (The Last of Us)
Comments: 31
Kudos: 202





	1. Chapter 1

Abby doesn’t even remember what State they’re in anymore but she knows it’s hot as hell and miserable.

They’ve been on the road for weeks now with no real destination in mind. She knows that has to change soon because supplies are running low and moral even lower. She’s more than sure she overheard the tail end of Mel trying to convince Owen they should turn back last night on her way to the latrine.

Abby lets out a huff as she breaks off another branch in her way. Fat chance of that though. Owen was ready to leave the WLF even before they all committed treason.

A shrill whistle breaks off her train of thought before she starts to brood too heavily. Taking a deep breath and steelingherself for the fight to come she turns to Manny and nods. It looks like Lev has found some infected. Or rather some infected have found him.

“ Time to party. “ Manny whispers as she catches his eye. They hold eye contact for a second before both turning in the direction of Lev’s signal.

“ Let’s go.”

And with that they were on their way to find Lev.

***

The Creek trails were a nice change of pace from all the patrols she had been doing lately. The first half was nice and spread out, nothing too metropolitan so the risk of running into infected was low. Ellie lets out a breath as she and Shimmer slosh further upstream.

“ Something on your mind, kiddo?”

“ Oh- huh not really... just thinking that this is kinda nice.”

Ellie tucks a strand of hair behind her ear. She doesn’t want to get into it with Joel. Especially knowing how overprotective he can be... but Jesse and Dina were back together. Again.She tries not to feel too bitter about it but she’s never been very magnanimous.

Joel hums noncommittally eyes never leaving the path in front of them. Ellie’s eyes narrow in turn, something about this is suspicious.

“ It’s just uh,” Joel clears his throat clearly uncomfortable and Ellie feels herself bristle “ I saw Jesse earlier and-“ two quick cracks in the distance stop him mid sentence and Ellie has never been more relieved.

Joel is a flurry of movement as he unholsters his rifle, his voice much gruffer than before when he finally stills and speaks again.

“ Were those gunshots?”

Five more ring out in answer and Joel is off like a shot, both he and his horse barreling through the underbrush in the direction of gunfire.

“Oh, thank god.” Ellie releases the breath she was holding as she urges Shimmer to match Joel’s brutal pace. She doesn’t know which patrol ran into trouble but she feels herself selfishly thankful that they did.

***

This is not looking good.

Manny’s down to his last clip and Abby knows she only has about 5 shots left herself. Abby chances a glance over in Lev’s direction to see he’s out of arrows and is now clumsily maneuvering around the revolver Owen gave him a week ago. She grimaces when she sees his next shot land wide and hit the dirt resulting in an explosion of debris.

Definitely not good.

“ Where the fuck are they all coming from!” Manny shouts out as he scrambles to the top of the chain fence surrounding the garage they are attempting to take refuge in.

Abby just grunts her reply as she practically throws Lev over the fence after him.

“ No, seriously, how the fuck did you even find this many!? There has to be at least-“

Abby hauls herself after Lev hissing “ Shut up, Manny.” As she lands heavily on the other side. Once back on her feet she frantically starts looking for an exit that doesn’t have over thirty runners ready to barrel down on them. 

Abby almost cries in relief when she sees a narrow opening between the perimeter fence and a shipping container.

“ Quick! Over there!” She’s barely gotten the words out before Manny and Lev are rushing to where she is pointing. Abby doesn’t waste any time and quickly follows after them.

They clear the narrow passage way with Manny taking point and Abby bringing up the rear, Lev nestled protectively between them as they bat away the searching hands of the infected that try to reach through the fence.

Once they’re through the obstacle it’s a dead sprint in any direction that looks clear enough to warrant temporary safe passage.

Honestly, it’s a miracle they make it to the loading bay. Or at least what looks like a loading bay- who knows at this point. Abby’s so turned around from the frantic pace they’ve been keeping to avoid the runners that she’s not even sure they’re in the same building that they started outside of when they all climbed over the fence.

Finding their way back to base camp is going to be a bitch. Assuming they make it out alive that is.

It’s calm for a moment at least and for that she’s grateful. They could use an opportunity to catch their breaths.

“ What now?”

Abby spares Lev a glance. What now indeed.

Abby’s eyes nervously dart around the open packing space hoping that their bad luck will suffer from a bit of a reprieve but as the rabid sounds of the infected echo from the hallway they’ve just abandoned she doubts she’ll be able to count on that.

Jesus, this isn’t good.

She’s saved from answering Lev’s question by Manny calling out to her.

“Abby, help me with this!”

She turns to see him struggling with a heavy shipping crate that looks like it’s been hoisted onto a rusted dolly pre-infection and left to rot. Manny’s muscle strain under its weight but he keeps his eyes focused forward calling out to Abby from a gritted grimace.

“ That window! Thats our way out- we have to hurry!”

Abby is next to him in a flash, her own muscles bulging under the struggle of pushing the crate on the uncooperative wheels. They're just over half way to the window when the first infected breaks through the door.

“ Not good, not good, Lev! Keep them off of us!”

Abby flinches when the next shot goes off, its echo in the large empty chamber making it sound much more high caliber than the 9mm Lev holds in his hands. But even with the ringing in her ears she hears the body of the infected hit the floor with a satisfying thud.

“ Nice shot!”

It’s a harrowing series of minutes, Manny and Abby’s grunts are drowned out by the sound of gunfire, growling, and the sick wet sound of bodies being riddled with bullets. It feels like it lasts forever and then just as suddenly as it started it’s over.

There’s a pause in the shooting and then a desperate curse followed by the empty clicking of a used up barrel. Looks like Lev has run out of ammunition. Thank god they’ve made it to the window.

Abby turns and raises her gun. She’s got five shots and by the looks of it there are at least 10 infected filtering into the room with more potentially behind them.

Great, okay, she can do this- she just needs to buy Manny and Lev enough time to get up that crate and out that fucking window. Easy.

It’s just as she’s about to pull the trigger and tell Manny and Lev to run that the clicker nearest to her explodes in a shower of gore. And then the runner next to it,. Not one to look a gift horse in the mouth Abby steadies her aim and takes out the next two runners as Manny spurs into action and shoots a stumbling clicker in the head. In no time at all the whole room is cleared.

Abby wipes the sweat from her brow frowning as her forearm comes back bloody. Great, It’s going to be at least a couple of hours before she’s going to be able to wash the gore off of herself. Though considering they are in a proverbial fishbowl with a potential snipper that’s probably the least of her problems right now. Shit.

Abby feels herself tense up when she realizes there are no more infected between them and whoever their mystery gunner is.

“ What the fuck?”Manny sputters and Abby is inclined to agree as she cautiously scans the area gun firmly in hand. She tries to do some quick math, if she’s lucky she has maybe two shots left.

“ Hey! Up here!”

Abby didn’t know what she expected when she looked up but it certainly wasn’t what she saw that’s for damn sure.

Leaningjust over the shattered skylight of the loading bay was a girl who couldn’t be older then 18. Lithe with auburn hair and dressed like the women in that old action movie her dad loved, the one with the cyborg and time travel. Fuck- what was her name...Sarah Connor!

Abby feels herself bristle with a sudden uncomfortable under current of energy that has her flexing her hands.

What the fuck indeed.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Joel and Ellie find themselves wishing that they just stayed home.

It takes Ellie and Joel, at most, seven minutes to make it to the small resort town that houses the Creek trail’s third and final checkpoint. 

To Ellie, it feels like an eternity. Every booming gunshot sets her teeth on edge. One after the other they ring out in the distance, a litany of tiny explosive cracks that only serve to further fray her nerves.

So much for an easy patrol. 

Joel’s face is grim when they breach into the town. The hard lines of his frown making him look much more severe then when they had been casually trudging up along the stream earlier. Ellie finds herself mirroring his scowl. Everything about this has her feeling uneasy. 

They have to be a good twelve miles from Jackson by now and the only other patrol out this way should be Eugene and Tommy’s but so far there’s no sign of them. She hopes they’re both okay. 

Joel and Ellie are silent as they slow the horses to a trot. The gunshots have tapered off leaving an unnatural stillness that hangs thick in the air. 

“We should leave the horses here,” Joel murmurs hopping down from his horse and tilting his head to an abandoned souvenir shop “it’ll be easier on foot. Won’t draw as much attention to ourselves.” 

Ellie slips down from her saddle and begins to gently lead Shimmer off to the building Joel indicated. A quick scan of the interior through one of the many broken windows reveals that it’s clear of any infected. Satisfied that Shimmer will be safe for the time being she looks to Joel. 

“So what’s the game plan?” 

Joel is silent as he contemplates their plan of action. Several more gunshots echo out in the interval and Ellie nervously shifts her weight from foot to foot as she waits for a response. 

“We need to get to the clock tower,” Joel finally answers. 

His face is stern when he turns to Ellie.

“That’s where they’ll be headin’ if they can break away from whatever trouble they’ve gotten themselves into.”

His tone is gruff but Ellie can tell Joel’s as anxious as she is. 

The Creek trail’s last checkpoint is an old clock tower that lies in the center of town, a good forty minutes away from where they’ve decided to hitch the horses. It’s a long walk to be making under the circumstances and though they have yet to run into any infected the risk will be greater the closer they wander toward the source of gunfire. 

Ellie starts to rummage through her saddlebag quickly grabbing as many supplies as her pack can carry. There’s a good possibility of trouble finding them just as easily as it’s found Tommy and Eugene.

“And if they don’t show up?” She can’t help but ask.

“We’ll deal with that when we get there, kiddo.” Joel replies as he swings his own pack over his shoulders. 

Somewhat mollified Ellie follows Joel as they begin the arduous trek to the center of town.

They’ve been walking for less than half an hour when they reach a part of the road that has collapsed in on itself. A giant jagged maw of asphalt that disfigures the otherwise pristine pathway. 

The rubble shifts when Ellie moves to look over the edge, sending a few pieces tumbling into the pit- not stable enough to climb then she muses. 

Ellie holds back an exasperated sigh. It can never be easy, can it. 

“Looks like we can cut through over here.”

Ellie carefully steps away from the small chasm to regard Joel who is standing before one of the few buildings that hasn’t been boarded up this deep into town. 

Ellie imagines that pre-outbreak it would have been an impressive sight, two stories tall and made of sandstone with large arched windows. Now, however, it looms lopsided and abandoned. Half of it drooping down into the sinkhole creating a misshapen jigsaw effect that throws the upper terrace just to the other side of the fissure. Perfect.

Ellie cautiously moves closer to peer through one of the shattered windows quickly scrutinizing the inside for any signs of infected. Seeing none she throws a grin to Joel from over her shoulder. 

“Alright, let's do it.” 

As she’s scrambling into the open window Joel’s voice, uncharacteristically soft and hesitant, chimes out. 

“So...you and Dina?”

“Jesus, Joel, really!?” Ellie splutters, vaulting herself a little too aggressively into the deserted building and nearly landing face first onto it’s grimy floor. “You think now is the time for this?”

Joel grunts as he hoists himself through the same opening landing a lot more gracefully. Ellie tries not to roll her eyes. 

Looking slightly embarrassed Joel keeps his eyes downcast as he busies himself with straightening out his pack. When he replies he sounds almost bashful.

“I’m just worried about you is all” 

Ellie feels like shriveling up on the spot. Trying to buy herself some time to collect her thoughts she occupies herself with roaming the downstairs of the establishment they find themselves in. It looks like it  
used to be some type of pub.

Ellie lets out a sigh, she can feel Joel hovering anxiously in the background as she begins to rummage behind the bar. God, he can be such a helicopter mom. 

Collecting the half empty bottles of alcohol she finds she hands one off to Joel, avoiding eye contact when he reaches out to grab it. 

“It’s nothing okay, really, it’s not a big deal.” 

Joel gently cradles the bottle to his chest, his eyes never leaving Ellie.

“Well, alright then.” He nods before sending her a reassuring smile. 

It’s awkward and honest and Ellie can’t help herself from shakily answering with a smile of her own. For a brief moment Ellie feels like everything will be okay. That they’ll find Tommy and Eugene and make it back to Jackson with nothing more than a few bumps and bruises. 

It’s impressive how quickly it all turns to shit. 

They’ve just made it to the second floor patio when it happens. A single gunshot echoes in the summer air; much closer than before, thunderous and almost deafening. Ellie feels the hair on the back of her neck stand on end when it’s followed by a grotesque squelch. She instinctively reaches for her knife but is unprepared for the impact of a boddy colliding with her or the sudden gut wrenching feeling of weightlessness. 

“Ellie!”

***

Ellie lets out a pained groan. It sounds far away and muffled, almost like she’s listening to herself from underwater. Which is fitting considering her head feels like it’s swimming. On top of her is the lifeless body of a stalker- her knife rests almost sardonically in its neck like the world’s most fortuitous trophy. Ellie allows herself a moment to lie still and rethink her life choices before sullenly kicking off the corpse and assessing her surroundings. It looks like the inertia of the stalker barreling into her sent her flying clear off the balcony and through the rotted roof of the building below. 

She can’t stop herself from mumbling a quite “What the fuck?” As she reaches down to reclaim her switch blade. “Jesse and Dina are never going to believe this shit.” 

“Ellie!?” Joel’s panicked voice cuts through her incredulousness. It’s slightly muffled but his rustic baritone still manages to carry past the barricaded windows. Wiping the blade on her jeans she calls back. 

“I’m okay!”

“Oh, thank god” is the immediate reply. There’s a brief pause in which more gunshots volley off in the distance. “Can you get out?

Ellie snorts. That’s the million dollar question, isn’t it? She briefly takes in the boarded windows and fortified door, so far it’s not looking very promising. Delicately avoiding the stalker from earlier Ellie starts to scour the small boutique for any type of exit. 

It takes a few minutes but when she rounds the counter she finds her ticket out. An opening that rests inconspicuously in the drywall. 

“Yeah, I think so!”  


Wary of anymore surprises Ellie gingerly crouches to peek through the gap. It’s not ideal, her make shift escape route leads to a narrow back alley that funnels itself into a dead-end on either side. Although, she muses, the back of the adjacent storefront does have a low hanging fire escape. If she can get to the roof and follow it to the mall’s loading area she could climb down the abandoned shipping containers instead of having to traverse through potentially infested shops. There is, however, one distinct problem. Joel. 

Holding back a grimace Ellie calls back out “But you’re not gonna like It!”

It’s not until she’s standing on the roof’s precipice that Ellie starts to have second thoughts. If this doesn’t work and she ends up stranding herself on the roof of some strip mall Joel will be absolutely insufferable. It took a lot of finagling to get him to agree to this.

Honestly, Ellie is surprised he eventually caved in the first place but after snapping his only shiv trying to force open the boutique’s door she guesses he really had no choice. Ellie lets out a deep sigh, it’s not like she wants to do this either. 

Bracing herself for probably one of the dumbest things she’s ever done she slowly starts to back away from the roof’s edge before breaking into a dead sprint and launching herself onto the building next door. She lands with a heavy thud, stunned for a second as the air is knocked clean out of her. 

“Jesus.” Ellie grunts rolling onto her back to catch her breath. Unfortunately, her respite doesn’t last. Just as her pulse steadies a sudden burst of gunfire has it skyrocketing back. It’s close, closer then it’s ever been. Ellie quickly scrambles upright, working herself onto unsteady legs. 

Ellie stands taut, muscles tense. Every nerve in her body is screaming for her to move and when another shot rings out she listens. Ellie takes off, her rifle beating a heavy staccato into her back and side as she bolts across the rooftop rushing to the source of gunfire.

“God damn it, Tommy, you better not fucking die.” 

More shots echo out beneath her as she fervently searches for a way to assist. There! In the middle of the roof lies a small skylight. 

Ellie sends gravel flying as she slides onto her knees and skids to a halt. She’s just shy of toppling past the skylight herself with how abruptly she stops but it barely registers over the horror.

Below her there is a sea of infected.

Ellie readies her rifle and begins to fire. Each and every one of her shots is potent in its efficiency. One by one the infected fall. So focused on the task at hand it isn’t until the room is nearly clear that Ellie registers that the group providing suppressing fire is definitely not Tommy and Eugene. From her vantage point she can make out the slender form of a young teen along with two brawny ex-military types. A man and a woman. 

By the looks of it they aren’t from Jackson. Ellie may not be familiar with everyone living in the settlement but she doubts she’d forget those muscles. Her train of thought is broken by the resounding thump of the final infected hitting the floor. 

Right, now would be a good time to make a hasty retreat. Strangers are always a mixed bag, you never know what you're going to get, and considering how armed they are Ellie doesn’t know if it’s worth the risk. But as she watches them nervously scan the loading bay Ellie can’t help but think that they don’t look like a threat. Just tired. 

Joel is going to kill her. 

Bracing herself over the ledge she shouts out to the group below.

“Hey! Up here!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Big shout out to thedorkone for helping me with my English and throwing around headcannons. Also big shout out to Webster’s dictionary to which I owe my life.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And then there were those salt lake rascals

Ellie shifts nervously where she stands, squinting at the horizon in an attempt to gauge the time. Judging by the sun it has to be past noon by now, which means her and Joel will be expected back in Jackson in the next hour or so. Fat chance of that, she muses. They’re already hours behind schedule and this new little detour isn’t helping. 

She can feel beads of sweat starting to form on her brow. In the distance, she can hear the unmistakable screeches of the infected. Honestly, she should be long gone from the potential threat but in a fleeting moment of altruism she had offered to bring the strangers from the loading bay to the small town’s checkpoint so they could recover from their ordeal and grab some supplies before disappearing to wherever they came from. The longer she’s left to stew in her thoughts the more uncertain she is of her proposal. The far off yowling of runners isn’t helping matters either.

This probably isn’t one of her smartest ideas. 

And considering she literally just spent the better part of the afternoon jumping from roof to roof like some knock off super hero that isn’t saying much but, still, she feels like it should be noted; not her best plan. Ellie can’t help but grimace, in the chaos she hadn’t paid much attention to the group except to know it was two adults and a teen. She’s hoping, for her own sake, it’s just some waylaid family she’s offered her assistance to because if this bites her in the ass Maria will be sure to bench her from patrols for at least a month. If Joel doesn’t find a way to swaddle her in bubble wrap first. She imagines that Jesse and Dina would never let her live it down if that were to happen. Or maybe they’d bow down before their new bubble overlord. 

Ellie is startled from her daydreaming by the sound of approaching footsteps. Too late to just cut the losses and run to meet up with Joel now she supposes. Mentally running through all possible escape routes, Ellie allows herself one last uncharitable thought.

“Here’s hoping they aren’t some wandering band of cannibals.”

Bracing herself, she turns to greet the newcomers. Ellie barely has time to take in the clean shaven teen and tired looking long-haired man before nearly choking on her own spit. Leading the two very bedraggled looking survivors is the most jacked woman she’s ever seen in her life. God, she hopes they aren’t hostile because there is no way she is winning any type of fist fight with the fucking terminator. Ellie has to remind herself to breath when she sees the muscles in the women’s forearm flex. 

“Holy fuck.” 

Three confused faces meet hers and Ellie decides to go for broke because how much worse can she make this situation? Jesse always said her mouth would get her in trouble and she may as well prove him right. Ignoring the heat creeping up the back of her neck Ellie scrambles for a follow up. 

“You guys look like shit.” 

This is, apparently, the wrong thing to say. 

Ellie feels a tight knot of panic nestle in the pit of her stomach when the woman of the group visibly bristles. That panic blooms into a sort of light-headedness when Ellie watches the blonde woman clench both of her hands into fists, forcing the prominent muscles of her forearms to bulge from the tension of- what Ellie can only assume is- the restraint required not to pummel in her face. For the second time today Ellie has the distinct impression of feeling underwater. There is a pregnant pause and she swears her life flashes before her eyes in the split second it takes before Mr. Man-bun is barking out a hoarse laugh. The blonde does not look amused and the young boy with them seems more confused than anything. 

“You’re pretty good with that rifle, chica.” 

Ellie should really stop while she’s ahead but the man’s easy going attitude is infectious so instead of letting it be Ellie finds herself letting out an undignified snort.

“Yeah, lucky for you guys.” Ellie takes a moment to wipe her sweaty palms on her dirty jeans before offering her hand out in a lame supplication. “I’m Ellie.” 

Finally, it seems that she managed the magic words. It’s instantaneous how her little introduction seems to relax the tension in the long haired man- his shoulders ease themselves into a less rigid slope and his next laugh meets his eyes in a way his first didn’t, while the teen with him manages a shy smile. Even Mrs. T-900 seems begrudgingly amused. 

Feeling a little bit like a dork for going for a handshake, Ellie tries her hardest to fight back the heat rapidly rising on the back of her neck. Luckily, Mr. Man-bun doesn’t leave her hanging and before Ellie can die of embarrassment a warm calloused hand is in hers.

“Manny,” Manny nods his head in the direction of his youngest companion. “That’s Lev,” another nod, “and this is Abby.”

When Ellie meets Abby’s eyes, she feels lightheaded all over again. She nervously clears her suddenly dry throat before giving the group a grin.

“So how about we get the fuck out of here?”

The laugh that bubbles out from Abby is abrupt and quiet but it leaves Ellie feeling warmth creeping into her cheeks all the same.

“Ellie, I couldn’t have said it better myself.” 

***

They’ve been traveling quietly for a while now. Silent and stealthy as they move between shops and rubble- the not so distant grunting of runners and the rapid staccato of Ellie’s own heartbeat working together to slowly solidify the growing apprehension in her gut.

Despite steadily trekking further and further away from the small strip of shops that served as their meeting place, they still haven’t managed to leave the caterwauling of the infected behind. 

It is, decidedly, not a good thing.

And judging by the tense and ridged visage of her companions, she’s not the only one who knows that they are truly and well fucked if they can’t get the hell out of dodge. 

Ellie signals for them to stop just shy of passing the threshold of an old hardware store and takes a moment to glance at the crouched figures around her. Each traveler carries themselves with the same ease and confidence you would see in the old ex-military types that found themselves in Jackson. True survivors. Good, she thinks to herself. At least they weren’t going to be a liability. 

She clears her throat, trying desperately to focus on the task at hand and not on Joel stuck out there with so many infected around. 

“We’re almost there, maybe twenty minutes out but we’re not going to have any cover once we hit the center of town.” 

“Fuck.” 

“Yeah,” Ellie traces the route in her mind. The fastest way would be to take the main road from where they are now but coverage would be few and far between. If she was by herself she would risk it but four bodies make for a rather large target. “How are you guys looking on ammo?”

Manny shoots her an apologetic grimace. 

“I’m out.”

“Me too...”

Ellie turns her gaze toward Abby, diligently ignoring the gnawing pit of dread growing in her chest. She isn’t surprised to see the other women’s apologetic wince but it still feels like the final nail in a coffin Ellie didn’t know she was trapped in. She can’t stop the slew of curses that leave her mouth. 

“Fuckin shit- Listen,” Ellie frantically racks her brain for a solution “let’s just, uhm…” Still grasping at straws, Ellie quickly gets to her feet and half-heartedly attempts the door of the hardware shop they’ve found themselves collected outside. She’s absolutely shocked when it isn’t locked. “Let’s just get out of the open for now, okay?” 

Without waiting for any sort of reply, Ellie makes her way inside. 

The shop is pretty desolated –filth and dross cover every surface while tiny motes of dust lazily drift in the few rays of light filtering in from the boarded up windows. Ellie absent-mindedly runs a finger through the grime on some empty shelving by the shop’s abandoned register when the rest of the group trickles in. Ellie feels the tendrils of panic blossoming into genuine hysteria the longer she’s away from Joel. The groaning of the infected growing louder in the distance an unpleasant backdrop to the sound of blood rushing in her ears. 

It’s Lev who tentatively breaks the silence, his voice soft and cautious. 

“Ellie?”

Lev doesn’t get the chance to say anything else.

It’s at this point that Abby seems to have had enough of her shit and Ellie honestly can’t blame her. Before she can react a strong hand is gripping her shoulder, jostling her from her panic, and dragging her to a somewhat secluded corner of the decrepit shop. Abby turns to her as soon as they’re a reasonable distance from Many and Lev. 

“Hey, I need you to get your shit together.”

Ellie tries not to flinch, Abby’s voice is intense but her eyes are apologetic. Ellie wishes she would just be a total bitch about it, it would make her life just a little bit easier. She tries to swallow her pride. 

“Shit. Yeah, I know it’s just-” Ellie clears her throat and is just about to explain about Joel when something else catches her attention. “Do you hear that?”

Ellie has a split second to take in Abby’s confused face before a bloater is crashing through one of the shop’s dilapidated walls. Manny’s voice rings out loud and clear despite the crunching of drywall. 

“Fuck! Run!” 

After that all thoughts blur together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to everyone who’s still reading

**Author's Note:**

> First time writer so be nice please and also my first born goes to thedorkone for all their help


End file.
